Following the devastating quakes today all eyes are focused on the weather as gales and heavy rain moves into central New Zealand.

This weekend is a typical spring one with warm weather to begin with in the North Island and a cold or change moving through on Sunday. Most places will see rain or showers even if just briefly, but there will be plenty of dry spells especially in the north. Next week a large low is coming which will bring both warm and cold, rain and wind - and sunny spells too!

The next couple of days look hot over the North Island, especially in the east. Meanwhile a cold front is moving up the country over the weekend.

Typical spring weather is spreading across New Zealand this week with thunderstorms on Monday, cooler weather Tuesday then heat for some on Wednesday and Thursday in the north while it cools down in the south.

Plenty of showers, sun and westerlies are on the way for both islands and both east and west coasts. The bulk of the wet weather is moving in to the West Coast.

November 1st kicks off with a cold front - and it kicks off perhaps over 10 days of this repetitive pattern. Here's the forecast for the week with WeatherWatch.co.nz head weather analyst Philip Duncan.

A weak front is crossing the country overnight with showers clearing for the most part on Saturday. A few downpours will remain in the northeastern side of the North Island on Sunday and perhaps into Halloween Monday. Next week sees westerlies and fairly average weather for November's first week.

We have a cooler change for the South Island with a burst of rain or showers, even for Canterbury over the next few days. The North Island is mainly dry with plenty of westerlies over the coming week. November looks to kick off with a similar pattern.

Labour Weekend is finally here and temperatures take a bit of a dip to begin with on Saturday morning across the country but mild weather returns over Saturday afternoon or into Sunday. High pressure looks set to cover the country with light winds and mainly dry skies - however early showers will be clearing the eastern North Island on Saturday (mainly around Gisborne) while rain clouds approach Fiordland or the West Coast later on Sunday or into Monday.

We've had cold weather in both islands this week but a new airflow from Australia on Sunday and early next week means daytime highs will push into the late teens and then low to mid 20s. Next week New Zealand is dominated by westerly quarter winds.

A low pressure system is forming over the country this Friday bringing a burst of rain and showers across both islands and maybe into Saturday too. There may be another burst of light snow in the very southern part of the South Island overnight (500m at this stage) but conditions warm up further into the weekend.

In this special weather video we take a look at Hurricane Matthews as it churns towards Florida and the south eastern United States as a major category 4 storm. We also look at New Zealand's weather with a real mixed bag across both islands. Saturday looks mainly dry in the North Island but there's a bit of role reversal happening on Sunday.

Gale westerlies are arriving with thunderstorms and downpours. Amongst the typical spring drama there will also be sunny, dry, spells in the mix. Sunday sees more rain for the North Island but much drier weather for the South Island.

If you're sick of the rain you're not the only one, plenty of New Zealanders are commenting on just how wet it has been lately, however this week the rainmakers shift from East Coast to West Coast. Will we see a number of days with rainmakers moving in but we still have plenty of dry and sunny spells in the mix too. It will also be mild.

We've had a wet week of easterlies, especially in the north. This weekend the winds blow back from the west (by Sunday) with a chance of very localisation flooding as the Aussie storm unravels but leaves warm downpours moving in. By Monday - and especially Wednesday - a strong westerly blast hits with classic windy spring weather coming in.

A large area of low pressure across much of New Zealand is bringing in plenty of low cloud, drizzle and downpours. Winds are almost entirely from the easterly quarter with winds turning more northerly later this week or weekend. Next week sees plenty of westerlies which is a bit of a return to more traditional spring like weather.

Tristram Clayton talks to Philip Duncan from WeatherWatch about the turmoil across the country for the start of the school holidays.

La Niña like conditions are with us already as we see more low pressure over the North Island creating more low cloud, drizzle and areas of rain/shower. Plenty of easterly winds are also in the forecast for the week ahead. Next week also looks a bit unsettled but more so from the west giving the east a break in the damp weather.

This week is a messy one but not looking too severe. Weak lows will drift from Aussie to New Zealand over the next week, mostly affecting the North Island and some drizzly weather later for Canterbury. Driest and most settled regions are likely to be the West Coast and Southland.

There are some positives coming to New Zealand - warmer weather for most, rain or showers at times for drought hit Canterbury, and sunny weather for those wanting to get outdoors. However, it's by no means settled and perfect - with rough weather surging across the country off and on for the next 10 days. Welcome to Spring! *Please note there will be no Friday weather video this week. Visit WeatherWatch.co.nz for further updates.

This week is much warmer than last week was with winds mainly coming from the west and north and boosting temperatures into the late teens or even early 20s. Towards Thursday and Friday a low from Australia moves in with strong to gale norwester, rain for the West Coast and even some spillover into Canterbury, esp on Sunday

The big high that brought the brutal wind chills over the past two days will cross the entire country on Sunday ending the windchill and bringing in much warmer afternoons. Next week warmer weather still moves in as this same high shifts north of the country.

A brief cold southerly is spreading northwards and will affect the whole country on Thursday. By Friday frosts return and the showery southerlies fade out of the eastern North Island. Warmer weather returns this weekend and into next week.

Spring is defined as winter gradually fading and hints of summer slowly coming in. This past Weekend Northland, for example, reached a high of 23 degrees but this Thursday just 13 degrees. Snow showers are possible in Queenstown and to low levels of Dunedin on Wednesday. In true spring fashion warmer winds return this weekend.

High pressure dominates this week and that means more dry, settled weather is on the way. The last day of winter in the meteorological calendar is this Wednesday but it looks mainly calm, dry and mild for winter's last day and the start of spring on Thursday.

The weekend is unsettled to begin with but winds calm down into Saturday night. Early showers for Canterbury will be welcome but drier weather is coming in there into Sunday as westerlies kick in. Also on Sunday, heavy rain returns to the West Coast.

A low - in fact several lows - will engulf the entire Tasman Sea by the end of the week meaning NZ is in for rain and wind. By the time the weekend arrives showers kick in but then also start to clear.

A large high is still trying to hold on to the country but is drifting eastwards. The forecast is generally dry bit coastal clouds and showers increase with northerly quarter winds rising on Sunday in a number of regions and rain moving in to the West Coast.

Plenty of sunny skies remain around New Zealand thanks to large high pressure systems. A little bit of cloud is affecting the very north and very south. The next few days are similar with high pressure dominating and milder northerly quarter winds kicking in by the weekend.

Finally dry, calm weather is pushing in across most of the nation as a large Aussie high rolls on in. A few coastal showers are likely especially the north east and south west corners but generally the next week ahead looks mostly settled.